On the evening of the first round of the 2013 MLB draft, experts Jason Churchill and Christopher Crawford will provide pick-by-pick analysis in the opening round. Before diving into the analysis, here are some key resources related to the 2013 MLB draft:

Appel gives the Astros a future rotation-leading No. 1 starter who could hit the big leagues as early as 2014, thanks to present stuff and polish. Appel immediately becomes the club's top prospect, and could impact how they manage the likes of Lucas Harrell and Bud Norris moving forward. Both have been rumored in trades.

Whether or not Appel signs for MLB's recommended bonus or a little less, the Astros are wide open for their next few picks to take the best player on their board without regard to position or time table. It's worth noting that Appel, as a college senior, is not subject to the July 12 signing deadline. -- Churchill

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Keith Law

Keith Law joined ESPN.com in June 2006 as the lead baseball analyst for Scouts Inc., covering the majors, minors and amateurs. Before joining ESPN, Law spent 4½ years with the Toronto Blue Jays as a special assistant to the general manager, and was previously a writer for Baseball Prospectus. He graduated from Harvard College and holds an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon.